Putin’s hollow victory

Russia has triumphed at the Syria peace talks. It has got the UN to sign off on the drafting of a new constitution by a 50-member commission. This is to set the scene for democratic elections. What’s not to like?

Quite a lot, as it happens. For as we say time and again: democracy must name the process by which it comes into being. And when this continues to be manufactured by foreign powers to bring an end to a so-called civil war — reconciliation must be the first step. That the question of the eligibility of the Syrian refugee vote has even been raised tells us all we need to know. This is not a people-owned process; a point underscored by the opposition’s boycotting of the Sochi conference.

Nevertheless, Putin has played his hand well. Putting his own spin on the American model of regime change that begins with swift military intervention followed by a beacon-of-light-constitution-in-the-remaking and the casting of purple fingered ballots. This process ends with utter chaos and the emergence of different terror groups leading to a prolonged US military presence. The only difference being that the Moscow version seeks to maintain the status quo.

What we are seeing today are the fruits of Washington’s warmongering; proxy Middle Eastern wars that started with Iraq. Though the groundwork for making inroads into Russia’s backyard came by way of decimating Afghanistan. And just because Moscow has entered into the Syrian fray rather late in the day — doesn’t mean that it hasn’t been watching and waiting and biding its time until the US got bogged down in multiple wars borne of military hubris.

That being said, Russian ownership of the Syrian peace process — whether or not Putin realises it — also (paradoxically) serves the American long-term interest. For just as Moscow doesn’t want to leave the region, nor does Washington. Indeed, the latter didn’t miscalculate Putin’s involvement in the conflict. Rather it was banking on this as well as ‘meddling’ by Iran and Turkey. All the better to have the Americans recast themselves as the civilised saviour; there to rescue the ‘backward’ world from itself. And we have to say that certain quarters of the western media have played a critical role in framing this narrative. For from the very start of this war has the latter been using questionable language when referring to the Russian president; in stark contrast with that reserved for Bush and Blair and their ‘mistake’ in Iraq. Added to this is the grave failure of the international community and its institutions — the UN included — to hold them to account for their war of aggression. And it is this which has paved the way for Putin to be now doing what he is. The West, after all, set the precedent.

Yet what the Russian Bear doesn’t realise, however, is that Washington has now got what it wants. Meaning that Moscow and its regional allies will be held accountable for the continued bloodshed in Syria. And everyone will conveniently forget how it was the Americans that started the fire. Everyone apart from ordinary Syrians, that is.